Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)

Photos by BarrytheBirder

The Eastern Towhee (also known as the Rufous-sided Towhee) is a bird that is slightly smaller but somewhat similar to the American Robin.   Its dark hood and back, rufous or rusty sides are set off by the white stripe of its underbelly.   White in outer tail feathers is conspicuous in flight   Its upperparts are mostly black, in the male or chocolate brown in the female.

It is common in the undergrowth of eastern woods, scratching backwards with both feet through dead leaves on the ground, especially under dense thickets.

It breeds from southern British Columbia east to Maine and south to California, northern Oklahoma, eastern Louisiana, and Florida.   It winters from southern British Columbia and southern Massachusetts.   According to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America, its range in the northeast has declined by as much as 90 percent in recent decades.

The Eastern Towhee and Spotted Towhee were once considered to be one species: the Rufous-sided Towhee.

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BarrytheBirder